In The Pawsteps of the Mighty
by 0llie-Unknown
Summary: MapleClan has a history of heroes, and they reigned supreme as the bravest warriors, until... the abductions began. Kits going missing, cats murdered, and no clues to what mysterious force is causing this. Held back by her disability, Applekit seems like a burden, but as the clan is at a loss for heroes, she may be the only one who can follow in the pawsteps of the mighty.
1. Allegiances

**In the Pawsteps of the Mighty**

 **By Dark Side of Eden, aka Ebonyfire**

 **A Warriors Fanfiction**

Allegiances:

Mapleclan:

Leader: Hazelstar- A light brown tabby tom with forest green eyes and a long scar down his back.

Deputy: Nightrain- A grey-blue she-cat with black paws, ears, a white muzzle, and dark blue eyes.

Medicine Cat: Squirrelpelt- A red-brown tom with brown eyes.

Warriors:

Morningmist\- A pale grey, long furred she-cat with blue eyes, a white ear, tail, and a pink nose.  
Frostedjay\- A dark grey tom with darker speckles, white paws, face, tail, and blue eyes.  
Lightfeather\- A long, silky furred, Dilute Tortoiseshell she-cat with brown-green eyes.  
Nettlefoot\- A brown tom with dark brown tabby stripes, a black paw, and dull green eyes.  
Snowpool\- A light grey she-cat with a white face, belly, legs, tail, and dark blue eyes.  
Thistleshine\- A golden tabby she-cat with green eyes.  
Redfoot\- A light brown tom with a dark ginger tail and front paw and amber eyes.  
Mothshade\- A mainly orange, long furred, tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes.  
Sandfeather\- A pale cream tom with amber eyes and pale, light brown stripes.  
Runningflame\- A bright ginger tom with green eyes and tabby swirls and a white chest.  
Cedarheart\- A dark brown tom with black swirling stripes and amber eyes.  
Sunsplash\- A white she-cat with large gold patches and blue eyes.  
Ravenstorm\- A black she-cat with long legs and blue eyes.  
Puddlelight\- A white she-cat with grey eyes and a grey underbelly.  
Sweetfur\- A light gold brown she-cat with a white chest and underbelly.

Apprentice:

Rosepaw\- A dark ginger she-cat with faint tabby swirls and amber eyes. -Mentor: Snowpool  
Pumpkinpaw-Ginger tom with green eyes dark stockings and a striped face -Mentor: Runningflame  
Dandelionpaw\- A fluffy pale grey, almost white, tom with green eyes. -Mentor: Nettlefoot  
Applepaw-White she-cat with ginger patches with light ginger stripes and green eyes -Mentor: Ravenstorm

Queens:

Feathersky\- A silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes expecting kits. -Mate: Frostedjay

Elders:

Seedstorm: A grey-brown tom with dull greens eyes.

Stoneclan:

Leader: Sparkstar- A dark grey she-cat with yellow eyes.

Deputy: Ashfall- A black tom with brown eyes and grey speckles.

Medicine Cat: Brambleblossom- A brown tabby she-cat with green eyes.

Warriors:

[UNDECIDED]

Apprentices:

[UNDECIDED]

Queens:

[UNDECIDED]

Elders:

[UNDECIDED]

Iceclan:

Leader: Blizzardstar- a white tom with ice blue eyes and broad shoulders.

Deputy: Pinefur- A grey brown she-cat with amber eyes.

Medicine Cat: Almondwing- A light brown tom with dark brown eyes.

Warriors:

[UNDECIDED]

Apprentices:

[UNDECIDED]

Queens:

[UNDECIDED]

Elders:

[UNDECIDED]

Clayclan:

Leader: Cricketstar- A grey tom with black stripes and green eyes.

Deputy: Littletune- A brown tom with half black face mottle black markings and brown eyes.

Medicine Cat: Crowspots- A dark grey she-cat with black dapples and amber eyes

Warriors:

[UNDECIDED]

Apprentices:

[UNDECIDED]

Queens:

[UNDECIDED]

Elders:

[UNDECIDED]


	2. Prologue: Sickly Shadows

**Prologue yeah! This is a new story and I would really appreciate feedback, so review!  
Let's get this started, are you ready?  
~Ebonyfire**

Prologue:

Dark shapes slinked silently through the pungent shadows, claws glinting as they passed through beams of cold moonlight. With them the wind seemed to whisper curses of misfortune to the stars whose light appeared fainter in the murky night. Their ragged pelts seemed to melt into the landscape as they flooded through the forest in a line, like a giant, writhing snake, ready to kill. They seemed to be one with the dark, avoiding the undergrowth with cautious care, eyes primed and pointed dead ahead, like they were already locked on a target.

The group slipped past the trees, their pelts were slathered in mud, leaving no scent behind them and molding them into the shadows. Soon they met a cliff edge, the drop going down 40 fox-lengths, long enough to break a cat's legs upon impact. The group stared over the edge, excitement glimmering in their eyes, laced with malice. Below, in a hollow filled in the moon's pale, silver glow, the scent of cats mingled with the new blossoms of spring, their still sweet aroma even drifting from the closed buds. But the sweetest scents to the foreign intruders were those of the warriors, health refilling their hopes after a long and cold leafbare, but sitting ducks in their happiness to the shadowed cats.

They ran their tongues over their needle-sharp teeth in thrilling anticipation, kneading their paws in the cold earth. Laughter was flickering in their gaze as their attention was drawn to a lilac bush, the faint, shrill mewl of a kit barely audible from it. They glanced at each other with understanding and a prime readiness, turning away and stalking into the night. The only faint sign of their appearance an accidental pawprint embedded in one of the last piles of snow, surely to melt away in the morning, and the only evidence of the intruders left unseen.


	3. Chapter 1: New Buds

**Sometimes Kits are innocence, but innocence in ignorance, and ignorance is dangerous.  
** **But it wasn't their fault.**

 **Rate and Review!  
~Ebonyfire**

* * *

Chapter 1:  
New Buds:

A happy murmur invaded a little she-kit's sunny dream, voices penetrated her long, calm sleep. She flipped over, covering her ears with her white paws but to no avail. Giving a slight growl of frustration, she opened her eyes and glanced about.

She lay in a soft nest of moss, gaze scanning around, above her were branches woven into a solid roof, some even with leaves and lilac blossoms that protruded through with their sweet aroma. The den was dug into a deep dip to the stump of the bush, the ground soft, powdery dirt. Several other moss beds were around the stump, though the very back of the nursery still a mass of thin, tangled branches. On a couple of beds near the back held two chatty queens, laughter filling the low roofed, milk scented den.

Stumbling upwards, she ambling over to the she-cats, looking up at them with her green eyes flickering with annoyance. The kit prodded her mother with a tiny paw and she glanced down with a pause.

"Yes?" she inquired half-heartedly after a long moment of ignoring her, looking back and forth at her friend.

"You two are being noisy! I can't sleep!" The kit huffed, plopping her rump down as she realized she wasn't that tired anymore.

"Oh, well, sorry Hun," the white, yellow patched she-cat gave a purr of amusement when her friend gave a dramatic roll of her eyes. The kit gave another mewl to redirect her mother's wandering attention.

 _Why won't you ever take me seriously?_ She scuffed her paw in the dirt and her mother's friend spoke up.

"How about you let her go with the others, Sunsplash?" the orange tortoiseshell meowed, "So we can have some speaking time without interruptions?"

"But you could just go outside-" the little she-kit was cut off with her mother's tail in her muzzle.

"I think that is a grand idea Mothshade," Sunsplash pushed her kit away with a paw, "Now go play with your siblings Applekit."

She stomped away with a low head, but stopped at the entrance and turned around, she saw her mother excuse herself for a moment and approach. Applekit's ears flattened to her head and she shrank down at her mother's angry expression.

"Applekit," she hissed in a fast, hushed voice, "I've had to deal with your problems nonstop for three moons. I want to spend some time with another adult without talking about your issues," her voice was a quiet growl, "Why don't you be a good little kit like your brothers, for once, and go outside, _now._ "

The little she-kit nodded with guilt and turned to exit, leaving her mother to go back to her friend's company. Tail hanging low, she stumbled outside to her siblings.

A cold breeze flew past, making Applekit's senses tingle with excitement as she smelled new scents. She realized that ever since the cold season went away more and more new sights and smells appeared. Applekit blinked as she entered the bright clearing, the cold wind disappearing to the subtle warmth of the golden sun.

The grey barrenness of leafbare gone, the camp was bright and lush. The fresh, short grass's colors matched the small new leaves on the trees. Already, lilac bushes and more had begun to sprout their many hued florals, new life seeming to radiated in the gentle sun's warmth and a chilly wind tugged restlessly at the tops of the trees as the wind caught up.

Applekit opened her jaws to take in the aromas of the blooming flowers and that of fresh prey on the pile. The camp was a dip in the forest, the entrance opposite of the wall of rocks that backed their home. Several bushes lined the edge of camp and covered the incline, which had been laced with brambles for intruders. Applekit could spot the warrior and apprentice's dens across camp, a patch of low lying gorse bushes in full bloom. Their sunny yellow petals trembled as a warrior stepped out from it with a yawn.

Applekit fully scrambled up the dip and out of the nursery, shaking her pelt and bounding awkwardly forward. She spotted the dashing forms of the other youth and headed their way behind a couple of bushes near the center of camp, under them a pile of fresh-kill sat. She smiled as she spotted her father returning from a patrol, his fur shone like a bright orange flame and in his jaws was a plump, limp squirrel. Her leaf colored eyes sparkled as he approached her.

"Father!" she squeaked, looking at him with happiness, he had come to see her!

"Where are your brothers?" he grunted, the rest of the patrol dropping their catches into the fresh-kill pile, he glanced around with even making eye contact with his daughter.

"I think they are over by the apprentice den."

"Mhmm," he turned and padded that way and Applekit's heart sank, she hopped after him still to see if he had caught that for her too.

"Boys," he called, dropping the prey. Immediately two kits scrambled over with glad expressions, others close behind. One was a light gold ginger, tabby stripes not yet set in, and the other looked like her, ginger patches on snow white fur. Applekit went over and joined her brothers and they greeted her.

"Applekit!" they purred and one leapt on top of her to tussle. The little she-kit giggled in her brothers' friendly banter and fought back with glee. A cough from their father made her break apart from the fight and each kit stared up expectantly at him.

"Yellowkit, Patchkit," he addressed them, pride in his gold eyes, "I've brought you some prey so that you can be big, strong warriors." The two kits mewled they're gratefulness and dug into the soft meat. Applekit stared at the kill with hungry eyes, trying ignore the hurt that she felt for her father's neglect.

"May I have some?" she mewed, looking at her father with wide eyes, but he didn't answer, "Father?" she repeated, "Runningflame?" Finally, he huffed and looked at her.

"No," Runningflame growled in frustration, "You eat some of this and you'll get big as a den. Go eat some shrew or something."

She turned her ears back, looking sadly at the ground. Her father licked his sons on their heads and turned to go to the nursery where their mother was. As soon as he disappeared inside, Patchkit spoke up.

"Hurry," he said with a full mouth, "If you don't eat now there won't be any left!" Yellowkit signaled her over with his tail and she smiled, leaping to join them.

She began to eat away at the juicy meat and before long her belly was filled deliciously and Applekit licked her jaws in content.

"Hey," another kit whined, her coat was a dark ginger, "You didn't even share with us."

"Sorry Rosekit," Yellowkit mewed, "But there's still some in the fresh-kill pile I bet."

"Greedy guts," A lighter ginger tom-kit rolled his eyes, "I bet you'll all get fat fat fat!" he said these words playfully and his sister prodded his long furred side.

"You're the one who always eats a lot Pumpkinkit!" Rosekit retorted, but looked away as she heard a mew.

"I- I wish my father would come get me prey," A fluffy grey-white tom-kit stammered bashfully, "He's always away, but that's because he is the best warrior my mother says."

"Nuh-uh!" Rosekit pouted, "My dad is the best warrior! He _is_ the leader!" Pumpkinkit nodded with her.

"Well, if he's leader then he isn't a warrior," Patchkit tilted his head, "Besides, my father is the best hunter in the clan, so… Frostedjay must be the best fighter if he is one of the best right? So all of our parents must be the best! Even Dandelionkit's!" The white kit blinked his thanks.

"humph, fine," Rosekit stretched, looking up at the rock cliff, "How about we play a game?"

"Yeah!" Yellowkit puffed out his chest, "I'll beat you all!" Applekit felt excitement dance in her chest, she kneaded her claws in the soft, lush grass.

"Well I bet I will!" she mewed after some hesitation, trying to join in. Pumpkinkit snorted.

"Really? How would keep up in anything?" she lowered her ears.

"I think your imagination is a little too wild, Applekit," Rosekit sniggered, but little Dandelionkit looked apprehensive.

"Hey, I'm just as fast as you guys," Patchkit stood next to her in support, and so did Yellowkit, she felt her confidence rise back.

"She just needs practice, then she just may be as good as _me,_ " Yellowkit boasted, Patchkit rolling his gold eyes.

"She'll slow us down though," Pumpkinkit complained, "The game will be _boring_." But it looked like the brothers weren't backing down, the two sighed and Dandelionkit stayed quiet in his shyness, but his green gaze showed his happiness.

"So what will the game be?"

"We'll speak about in private," Pumpkinkit's excitement glowed in his green eyes, "It's going to be the best game ever!"

Applekit and Dandelionkit walked with them as they turned but Rosekit told them to stay and that 'We'll tell you once we are done'. Applekit tried not to let herself get over excited, it wouldn't be the first time her and Dandelionkit stayed behind at were "accidently" left there.

She and the white kit hobbled across camp to the Drinking Pool by the nursery, the water at the bottom clear and crisp. She looked up at the dark, wet, stone wall that the water streamed down from with an emotionless expression. Applekit splashed her tiny muzzle into the water and let the cold, satisfying drink quench her thirst as she lapped it up. She lifted her head, licking away the droplets with a swirl of her tongue and staring into the clear pool until the ripples settled. The little kit stared into her likeness, the reflection of the white puffs of clouds drifting faintly past her head in the sky cast behind her.

She was smaller than the other kittens, being the runt, and her ears just seemed a _little_ too big for her head and her pelt wasn't the glossiest. Applekit tried to dissect why she was paid less attention. Was it her pink nose? Or perhaps because her tail and chest had longer fur than the rest of her? She frowned.

Applekit was a pure white little she-kit with light ginger patches, one covered half of one of her front legs and another covered the opposite shoulder and one on her thigh and the end of her tail. Inside of them were even lighter stripes beginning to form now that she was beginning to shed her kit fluff, and even one of those ginger spots covered half of her face and her ear. Truthfully, she knew why she was left behind, but that was silly. It isn't like other kits hadn't been born like her.

Applekit turned around and spotted Dandelionkit lying in the lush grass, she padded about a tail length away and rolled onto the grass, the green blades reaching out above her head as she lay upon them. She stared up at the sky, the azure ocean had faded to a grey-blue, white puffs of cloud passing over with the high winds, trailing across the sky, the sun hiding behind them as they floated past Applekit's vision and invited her. She closed her eyes, and she was there.

The patched kit was then flying through the sky, white wings stretched out, floating above the forest. Her paws brushed the clouds and she took a breath in of the clear air, floating above the puffy white fluffs. In her mind they felt like cotton and fluff, bouncy and warm. Little Applekit landed atop the puff and looked over the world, the cloud drifting along with her atop it, smiling. It was so-

"Wake up Applekit!" the voice made her roll over in panic and stare up at the owner, which was just Rosekit, "Do you want to come or not?"

"Y-yeah," she nodded her head and stumbled upwards, following the bunch, they quickly padded over to a bush next to the dirt place.

"What are we doing here?" Applekit wrinkled her nose, "I hope this isn't a hide and seek spot."

"No," Rosekit rolled her eyes, "We are doing something so much better."

"Listen up everyone," Yellowkit's eyes glowed with excitement, "We're gonna become apprentices really soon!"

"Soon?" Dandelionkit questioned quietly, "But we're just half way there."

Yellowkit nodded but puffed out his chest, " _Buuut,_ if we _prove_ ourselves for something great then we can be apprenticed early!" the other three lashed their tails with excitement, "Just like how warriors get their names early!"

Patchkit smiled, "It has to work!" Applekit knew that Yellowkit tended to be rash at times, but if Patchkit approved the plan seemed to be okay, so she nodded along.

"Follow me," Yellowkit signaled with his little tail and they eat padded behind in a line, Dandelionkit being kind enough to take up the rear. Within a short moment they squeezed past the brambles and ambled up the slope, breaking into runs as they viewed the giant forest around them for the first time.

Applekit's jaw hung in awe as she struggled to keep up with the rest, the trees above reached high up into the sky, a drop from even one of the lower branches looked to be enough to lame a cat. Sunlight dappled through the shaped leaves and even the kits couldn't help but pounce on the dancing speckles and rays or a drifting leaf from the branches above. Applekit fell over and awkwardly tried to get back up, but just laid down and looked out as her friends played about, sniffing and mewling with glee and wonder. She sighed, it was even better than expected. The smells were alluring, ferns sprouted about with gentle fronds, a fallen tree was covered in moss and mushrooms, and the scuffling of prey was heard as they responded to the noisy kittens by fleeing.

"'Kay everyone!" Rosekit's shrill mewl called out for the group's attention, "Here's the plan!" Applekit tried to get back up and Yellowkit pulled her up by her scruff, his sister blinking in thanks and they gathered around a stump, Rosekit atop.

"We will become apprentices if we do something great!" The ginger patched kit swished her tail as she listened, "So yesterday I heard some warriors talking about some suspicious something up on the cliff over the camp. If we find out what did it, we will for sure become apprentices!"

Patchkit's eyes glowed with enthusiasm, "Maybe even warriors faster!" All the children cried out with exuberant mews, clearly fully convinced.

"So then," Rosekit held her head up with authority, "We will find the perp-peh-trator and turn them to Hazelstar to become our prisoners! Even if it is big, there are so many of us we can't lose!"

The kits yowled tiny battle cries and skittered off up the slope until they met the cliff edge, staring over the camp and catching their breath. Down below no one had noticed their disappearance yet, busy eating the fresh prey and arranging patrols. Applekit's paws tingled and she felt her heart race a little to be this high up, but just stared down with wide eyes. From here she could take her little paw and crush the tiny cats in camp underneath it.

The kits took a few minutes scanning over the cliff edge sniffing, but found nothing at all. With no other way to follow, they decided to go the more shadowed route, so they may be sure that they aren't seen, by the intruder or their clan. The little she-kit shuffled her petite paws with slight anxiety every time they took a break, her fur on her back seemed to stand up in this foreign land from an unknown feeling. A tight knot of dread formed in her belly, Applekit's big brothers kept an eye on her, giving her reassuring purrs and nuzzles that made the knot go away, for then, but the farther they trotted the more her brothers looked nervous.

The sunny, dappled forest of ferns seemed to melt away, bushes tightened around them and trees grew denser and denser. Now the branches were so interwoven that it was quite shaded, and for kits who went to bed before the sun even set, this was a scarier environment than they imagined. Now, wonder was replaced with the creeping sense of fear, and the clowder of kittens became more and more tense as they wandered deeper into the woodland.

Damp, rotten leaves squished wetly under each kits' aching paws, apprehension plagued their expressions, and Dandelion finally mewed out.

"I'm t-tired, and I-I-" he gulped, "Can we go… back now?" Each kit stared at him with unhappy looks and Pumpkinkit whined.

"Yeah… I want to go now," he huffed, "I'm hungry, and my paws hurt, and I wanna go home!"

Patchkit mewed in agreement and Rosekit sighed, "Fine then. We'll try again tomorrow."

She pushed past the group and stared out into swallowing forest, back turned to her denmates. They each stared at her until she looked at them over her shoulder with a stressful gaze.

"Which way did go again?"

The group then started loudly mewling in fright, calling out to their parents in the empty forest, whining and crying for help. Applekit felt her heart plummet to her stomach and fill with ice, she desperately mewed out into the shadows for her father and mother, but not even echoes replied.

"What are we gonna do?" Patchkit's eyes were wide as he scanned around, and the growl of a belly was heard in the group, "Mama says to always wait for a warrior, but we're hungry!" panic edged his mew which soon became a wail, " _I'm_ hungry!"

Applekit's heart raced and she nodded, every kit staring at the dark ginger she-kit who led them here, her tail was puffed up.

"It- it wasn't all my idea!" Rosekit moaned, "I just helped! It was- It was Pumpkinkit's!" she turned to her brother with an accusing glare and he growled in indignation.

"Well I don't know about you mouse-brains but I'm gonna catch myself some prey!" he growled and turned around, stalking away into a wall of tall grass.

"I'm hungry _too_ you know!" his sister pounded off after him, tiny claws throwing up dirt.

Dandelionkit looked at the grass and at Applekit and her brothers, uneasiness and indecision making him frown with added anxiety. With a turn he raced after the two ginger kits with a squeal.

"W-wait for me!"

And with that, they were alone.

The siblings huddled up together, each glancing warily out into the shadows, and Applekit felt like crying. Minutes past and they didn't return, and though it wasn't that long, the silence of the forest was broken with the panicked mewls of the littermates.

"R _ooooo_ sekit!" they called out, "P _uuuu_ mpkinkit! Dandelionkit! Where are you?!"

They quieted down, ears perked for a reply. Applekit had her back turned to her brothers, staring out another direction just in case. Her brothers walked forward to peek past the grass and Applekit stayed put. After a long moment of silence, there was a sound. The rustling of plants and a thump. Applekit turned around with relief to see her denmates return, but before she could look Yellowkit shoved her shoulder with his head and she saw both her siblings at her side look at her with terrified expressions.

"Applekit," Patchkit was visibly shaking, his voice a quiet croak.

" **Run**."

The tiny cats raced forward in panic, the little she-kit struggling to keep up with her brothers. She mewled out as they began to leave her behind and they stopped, turning and staring at her with frightened eyes.

"Quickly!" Patchkit turned to a briar bush, pointing at it with a paw, "We'll hide under there!"

They scrambled over and Applekit stumbled to the ground right outside of it, her mind blurred in fear of something she didn't even know to the point where she couldn't get back on her paws. Yellowkit screamed for them to go under there now, saying he'll get in last, and Patchkit pulled his sister up by her scruff, letting her enter first.

Applekit struggled on her paws, trying to squeeze under the barbed branches, thorns snagging her fur. She desperately scrambled, trying to go in farther and the she-kit felt Patchkit give her a large shove with his head, throwing her forward. She fell and felt her head painfully crash onto a stone and the world became unfocused. Applekit pulled herself in, her ears ringing and sounds not making any sense. She opened up her eyes to see her brother on his belly, dragging himself to her. There were squeals, echoing around the injured kit's head, and Patchkit's eyes became wide. He stared at her with horror and his lips moved to mouth her name, but by now the sounds were just ringing and her vision was beginning to become unfocused once more. Her brother's jaws moved opened wide as he squealed with terror, his tiny claws slicing the earth as he was dragged out forcefully from behind. There was screaming, a deeper yowl, screeches and Applekit's vision was now fading the ringing becoming softer as the world became black.

And there was silence.


End file.
